Guest Editorial

What were you doing in 2001? How much has changed in the world of neuroscience in 17 years? This is the estimated gap between the conduct of high quality research, including randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews, and its eventual implementation into practice. In an era of increasingly rapid changes in technology and patient complexity, and increasing disparities in health outcomes according to geography and socio-economic status there are significant challenges around research keeping up with contemporary practice, and for practice to critique and implement research that supports optimal patient-centred care.

The timely and efficient translation of research into practice has great capacity to improve practice and patient outcomes and brings us to the world of implementation science – “The scientific study of methods to promote the uptake of research findings into routine healthcare in clinical, organisational or policy contexts”¹

A well-established example of a research implementation framework is Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS). It has been developed and tested based on the principles of the strength of the evidence for practice improvement and the preparedness of the clinical context for change.

Keeping up with the evidence highlights the importance of conferences such as the upcoming ANNA Annual conference. Mixing with experts in your field provides a fertile environment for presentation and discussion regarding the most up-to-date neuroscience nursing research.

But just knowing is not enough. There are major challenges associated with changing practice in your own context that are well described by the PARIHS framework. This framework incorporates essential elements of change, including leadership support, culture, educational needs and local receptivity to change.

While these steps sounds like common sense we know that common sense is not that common and, in the area of research translation, we see passive approaches such as distribution of guidelines or pathways consistently failing to change practice or improve patient outcomes.

Evidence-based practice needs evidence-based implementation and the PARIHS framework is one of numerous approaches available for researchers and practitioners to translate research into practice and diminish the unacceptable 17 year gap.

I wish all the ANNA members well in their collaborations and efforts to translate research into practice for optimal patient care.

Implementation Science. Journal website. https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/about (accessed 23/5/2018).